In recent years, security has become an issue of ever-increasing importance in professional and amateur sports. Sports such as hockey are rapidly evolving and becoming more physically demanding, since players are generally bigger and stronger than they ever were. Moreover, contemporary players are also quicker due, in part, to improvements in skate technology. Consequently, protective equipment such as shoulder pads and elbow pads must also evolve to better suit the needs of today's players.
Conventional wisdom has to date dictated that elbow pads and shoulder pads are two distinctive protective items that function independently when worn. Thus, the shoulder pads, which typically feature upper arm protectors, provide protection to the shoulder and upper arm regions of the player while the elbow pads protect the sensitive area of the arm where the cubitus bone is vulnerable at the elbow point. Moreover, traditional elbow pads also protect the upper forearm and the lower biceps areas; the latter being immediately adjacent the elbow joint.
A deficiency typically associated with the above-mentioned protective equipment is the fact that the elbow pad, when in use, has a tendency to slide down the arm of the wearer. Thus, this results in a situation that is cumbersome to the player and which might also distract the latter. Furthermore, the resulting situation also impedes the level of protection since the elbow pad is no longer in its ideal position and portions of the arm are left exposed to injuries. A method frequently used to overcome the above-mentioned deficiency consists in wrapping tape around the elbow pad and thereby securing it against motion. However, this solution often affects the overall comfort of the wearer since an adequate level of tightness is relatively hard to attain. Moreover, it is especially cumbersome to remove after use.
Another deficiency that is common when using traditional elbow pads and shoulder pads can be attributed to the growth of young players' limbs. More specifically, the gap that exists between the elbow pad and the upper arm protector of the shoulder pad tends to widen with age if no replacement equipment is obtained. Moreover, this problem is compounded by the fact that new equipment tends to be fairly costly and thus, young players have a habit of trying to keep their equipment as long as possible. This results in an increasing area of the upper arm that is not protected and is therefore subject to injury.
There is therefore a need in the sports industry for shoulder and elbow pads that can offer an enhanced level of protection as required by contemporary athletes and that can also be adjusted to better accommodate differently sized players and their equipment preferences.